Water containment structure with fish ladder

ABSTRACT

A fish ladder for incorporation between ends of a water structure that includes at least a pair of separate sleeves that are each formed from a puncture resistant flexible material, contain a volume of water and may have a closed end or ends for resting on edge portions of a flat base plate of the fish ladder. The flat base plate includes a pair of parallel spaced apart upstanding side walls that are individually extend across the flat base plate. The upstanding side walls each include pairs of spaced apart channels extending from the side walls, with the pairs align to receive flat rectangular dam sections fitted therein, forming interior dams that a flow of water, as travels through the fish ladder, fills between as pools that fish, traveling up stream, jump between, to travel up the fish ladder and exit into a body of water that is contained by the water structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to structures for damming water courses,controlling and directing water flow, working and support structureswhere outer fabric sleeves are formed and connected together in side byside relationship, in cascade arrangement, and the like, forming a dam,water course, or the like, and provides for fitting and anchoring a fishladder type structure at a location across the water course toaccommodate upstream migration of fish to their spawning grounds.

[0003] 2. Prior Art

[0004] A need for easily installable and versatile dam structures, andthe like, particularly structures that are primarily water or airfilled, are relatively inexpensive, non-permanent, reusable and aredurable, has been early recognized by the inventor who has been awardedU.S. Pat. Nos. 5,059,065 and 5,125,767 for forming and joining waterstructures together, forming hydraulic damming structures, and in arecent U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,571, sets out a combination of water transferand damning structures and platforms. Such water structures have beenfound to be very useful for safely and reliably containing water and fordirecting water, and can be useful for controlling hazardous waste, oilor chemical spills, for flood control, and the like. Further, such waterstructures are also useful, for example, for temporary dammingoperations such as may be involved in agricultural water storage,construction, for de-watering work sites, fields, or the like, and mayeven be appropriate for use as permanent or long term structures. Theseprior art patents of the inventor recognized that fluid filled flexiblewater control structures and barriers can be used for retention andstorage of water, control of water flow and wave action.

[0005] A number of configurations of dams and barriers of others havebeen developed as both semi-permanent and temporary structures. Forexample, in U.S. Patents to: Hombostel, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,568;Sample, U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,691; Brodersen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,821;Hendrix, U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,919; Roach, U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,416; Melin,U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,806; and Miller, et al., U.S. Pat. No.5,865,564 showvarious containment, dam and barrier configurations from permanent toportable structures, and include, as shown in the patent to Brodersen, astructure for encircling a chemical or oil spill.

[0006] Additionally, applicant has filed a U.S. patent application on a“Water Containment Structure”, Ser. No.10/349,249, dated Jan. 23, 2003,that the water structure for mounting the fish ladder of the inventionis suitable for use with. Where this earlier patent application doesshow various combination of flexible sleeves that are individuallyjoined, as by sewing, into appropriate shapes, and with each innersleeve to receive a tube or tubes that are filled with water to form acontainment structure for a particular area or need, this application,however, does not involve a fish ladder structure and its mountingarrangement as does the invention.

[0007] The particular connected sleeves that are formed to hold water orto receive water filled tubes of the invention are unique to the abovecited U.S. Patent Application for a “Water Containment Structure”, andtheir use with a fish ladder like that of the invention is unique.Heretofore, however, other specialty water filled structures have beenemployed as shown, for example, in Thompson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,591;Sample, U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,491; Taylor, U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,392; Eaker,U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,455, and Strong, U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,577. Suchsystems have generally involved inflatable envelope arrangements andcould, within the scope of this disclosure, but have not been utilizedwith a fish ladder like that of the invention, as shown. Similarly otherexamples of water structures are shown in patents to Swain, et al., U.S.Pat. No. 3,861,158 and to Carter, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,362.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] It is therefore a principal object of the present invention toprovide a fish ladder for installation with a hydraulic structure thatis formed from a sections of water filled sleeves, envelopes, or thelike, joined together in side by side, end-to-end, or stacked on top ofone another, or in other configurations, with the fish ladder arrangedfor convenient installation between ends of such hydraulic structureprior to filling of the sleeves with water, with the hydraulic structuremaintaining the fish ladder in place, resisting a hydraulic force orforces as would tend to permanently move the fish ladder.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a pluralityof sleeves that are each formed from a strong puncture resistantmaterial, are joined together, as by sewing, clamping, welding, or likefastening, along common edges with the sleeves to individually containwater or to receive a tube or tubes that, when filled with water, willexpand against the sleeve walls, forming water barrier sections, andwith two sleeve ends, prior to filling, butted against sides of a fishladder that is positioned and anchored to a ground surface below a levelof water, with the water structure ends to seal against and aid inmaintaining the fish ladder in place.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fishladder formed from metal sections joined together to provide a flat baseplate whereto parallel upstanding walls are secured leaving outer baseplate sections as wings to receive sleeve ends, with the upstandingwalls reinforced by upright anchor sleeves that can receive poles fittedtherethrough to be driven into the ground whereon the fish ladder is tobe seated, and include interior aligned channel sections that eachreceive one or more plates as dam sections slid therein to form adesired wall height within the fish ladder, providing steps with poolstherebetween forming a stepped flow of water through the fish ladderthat a fish can swim and jump over.

[0011] Still another object of the present invention is to providesleeves that are water tight or are arranged for receiving a tube ortubes fitted longitudinally therein for providing a roll resistant tothe sleeve ends that engage opposite sides of the fish ladder.

[0012] Still another object of the present invention is to provide afish ladder that is readily movable to a site for installation betweensleeve sections ends to receive dam sections fitted and supportedtherebetween, forming stepped walls with interior pool therebetween, andthe fish ladder is capable of remaining in place for short or longperiods of time.

[0013] The present invention is in a fish ladder that can be moved as aunit to a job site and is there anchored into the ground between endsections of water structure sleeves. The water structure sleeves areindividually formed to be water tight or are arranged to contain andmaintain at least one flexible water filled tube in each sleeve. Thewater structure will resist being rolled when subjected to a side ortransverse hydraulic load directed against one face thereof holding thefish ladder between sleeve ends.

[0014] The respective sleeves can be formed to have the same ordifferent diameters and lengths, are each preferably formed from a stiffsection of material, that will or can be coated to resist punctures, andcan be formed into a sleeve or sleeves, as by sewing, utilizing at leastone and, preferably, a plurality of seams to stitch the section orsections of material together. Each sleeve can be water tight or cancontain at least one, and preferably two, or more, tubes, with the tubesto be filled with water after positioning of sleeve ends against, so asto support, sides of the fish ladder.

[0015] The fish ladder of the invention includes a flat base platehaving a pair of parallel spaced apart flat walls that are formed from,preferably, steel plates and are mounted to extend at right anglesupwardly from across the base plate that is also, preferably, a steelplate. Each wall is spaced an identical distance from a base plate edge,leaving a pair of outer base plate sections or wings that are each toreceive a sleeve end positioned thereon. Whereby, with the sleeve filledwith water, the water weight is directed into the base plate sections orwings to hold the sides of the fish ladder in place. The parallel spacedapart walls are secured, at equal distances apart, across the flat baseplate, extending upwardly at approximately right angles therefrom, andtheir distance apart is selected to accommodate a fish ladder width. Toform with fish ladder, pair of vertical channels are mounted onto theparallel walls opposing surfaces that align as pairs to receive damsections slid therein, from top to bottom of the parallel walls. The damsections are preferably wood, as for example, sections of two by sixes,eights, tens or twelves, for example, that are cut to span between theparallel walls with the ends thereof to slide into opposing channels.

[0016] For reinforcing the upstanding parallel walls against beingdisplaced apart from a water flow through the fish ladder, verticalpipes are secured onto or through, to extend at right angles upwardlyfrom, the flat base plate, as by welding, and are further secured alongtheir contacting surfaces, to each of the parallel walls outer surfaces.So arranged, the pipes are secured and are at spaced intervals acrossthe flat base, and are in vertical contact with the flat walls outersurfaces, with the flat walls opposing inner surfaces having thedescribed channel sections secured thereto that are to receive the damsections.

[0017] In practice, the dam section are fitted as an edge to edge stackinto the aligned channels, forming a dam section a desired height fromthe flat base plate, extending upwardly to as high as the top theparallel walls. The dam sections form water containing compartmentstherebetween that step from a greatest height proximate to the level ofwater as is held back by the water structure, to approximately the levelof the water flow that is passed out from the fish ladder. Which damcompartments, when water is directed through the fish ladder, each toprovide a fish holding pond that a fish jumps into and from to proceedup the fish ladder and into a body of water as is held back by the waterstructure.

[0018] The weight of the body of water pressing upon the flat base platebetween the parallel walls, and the weight of the water structure sleeveends resting upon the wing portions of the flat base plate outboard fromthe parallel walls, will generally be sufficient to maintain the fishladder in place. However, should additional anchoring be required, thenthe pole ends as are secured onto the flat base plate can be drilledwith rods or pipes fitted through the poles and flat base plate and aredriven into the ground below the fish ladder, further anchoring the fishladder in place.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In the drawings which illustrate that which is presently regardedas the best mode for carrying out the invention:

[0020]FIG. 1 is a rear and side elevation perspective view looking downfrom the top of a fish ladder of the invention, showing, in brokenlines, how dam sections are fitted, one by one, into opposing channelsto form a barrier across a water flow path through the fish ladder;

[0021]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the fish ladder of FIG. 1, that isshown maintained at the fish ladder base plate outer sections or wings,shown in broken lines, between ends of a water structure, and showing,with arrows A, B and C, a water flow through the fish ladder from a bodyof water held back by the water structure, the flow traveling from rearto front of the fish ladder;

[0022]FIG. 3 shows a perspective view taken from above the rear andright side of the rear of the fish ladder and water structure of FIG. 2,and including additional fish ladder anchoring is provided by poles thatare fitted through side support pipes and are driven into the groundbelow the fish ladder;

[0023]FIG. 4 is a view like that of FIG. 3 taken from the front andslightly above the fish ladder and water structure ends and showing,with arrows A and B, a water flow directed into the fish ladder, thattravels across the dam sections, filling the areas between which damsections, and then passes into a stream; and

[0024]FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the fish ladder of FIG. 4,that is shown as including right angle gusset plates secured,respectively, along their vertical legs to an outer surface of verticalpipes, and having the gusset plates lower legs secured to the flat baseplate, with the gusset plates for reinforcing the mounting of thevertical pipes and parallel vertical walls onto the flat base plate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Heretofore, water structures as have been formed on site as adam, or the like, have generally included sleeves or tubes that arepositioned on the ground and filled with water. Such have generally beenformed from plastic and where such have been used they have been foundto be fragile and subject to puncture and tearing in the physicalsetting where they are laid out, such as over rocks, tree branches, orthe like. Such fragility has been addressed in a patent application ofthe present inventor, Ser. No. 10/349,249 entitled “Water ContainmentStructure” that is cited in the present application Prior Art Section,and is a preferred structure for incorporation with the invention as setout herein.

[0026] The present invention is in a unique fish ladder forincorporation with a water containment structure that includes uniquesleeves 35 a, 35 b, 37 and 38, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, respectively,that can be a pair or more of sleeves that are maintained in side byside, or stacked relationship, or contained in an outer sleeve. Eachsuch sleeve can itself contain water, or each sleeve can be arranged forcontaining a water filled tube or tubes, with such sleeve or tube, theclosed at its end or ends, forming a water structure, such as a dam.

[0027] The invention in a fish ladder 10 is for positioning betweenaligned sleeve 35 a and 35 b ends 36 a of a water structure like thatshown in FIG. 3 . The sleeves, for use with the fish ladder, arepreferably constructed by a sewing together sections of a strong,flexible material, forming a cylindrical shape that is puncture and tearresistant. The preferred sleeve material can be a section of thickplastic material, such as a polyethylene, but is preferably a section ofa mesh material that is a weave of stripes of a plastic, or likematerial, having a strong or high tensile strength that is tearresistant. A material know as woven polypropylene geotextile has beenused in practice for forming the sleeves for use with the invention. Thesleeve or sleeves can be sewn with a Kevlar thread or the like, formingseams, that can be reinforced as with sections of belting, such asautomobile seat belt material, that is sewn onto the sleeve surfaces atthe seam, and individual sleeves 37 and 38 can be maintained together asby sewing them together along contacting surfaces, as shown in FIG. 4,with the sleeves ends maintained over flat base plate outer wingsections 13 a and 13 b of the fish ladder 10.

[0028] The fish ladder 10, shown in FIG. 1, includes a flat base plate11 having a center section 12 and the outer wing sections 13 a and 13 bthat are formed by the junctions with the flat base plate of lower edges15 a and 15 b of right angle parallel walls 14 a and 14 b. Whichjunctions 15 a and 15 b are preferably formed by welding the parallelwalls 14 a and 14 b lower edges onto the top surface of the flat baseplate 11, with the center section 12 of the flat base plate 11therebetween and with the outer wing sections 13 a and 13 b aligning inthe same plane and extending at right angles outwardly from whichjunctions 15 a and 15 b. Shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the opposing innersurfaces 16 a and 16 b of the parallel walls 14 a and 14 b include rightangle sections 17 and 18 that, as shown best in FIG. 1, are individuallymounted, as by welding, along their respective base legs 17 a and 17 ato the respective parallel inner surfaces 16 a and 16 b. In whichmounting the right angle sections legs 17 b and 18 b are parallel, arespaced apart a selected distance, that is the width of dam sections 19,and extend parallel to one another to function as channels for receivingends of flat dam sections 19, as shown in the Figs. The dam sections 19are preferably sections of wood that are individually slid into whichchannels, from top to bottom, contacting each other edge to edge,forming a stack of dam sections 19 that function as a dam wall. The damwall will hold back or contain water passed from the body of water thatis held back by the water structure.

[0029] To provide strength to the parallel walls 14 a and 14 b, so as toprohibit them from being forced apart by a flow of water through thefish ladder, the invention preferably includes spaced vertical pipes 20a and 20 b, 21 a and 21 b and 22 a and 22 b, that are each fixed, attheir lower ends, to the flat base plate 12, forming a junction with thewings 13 a and 13 b. Further, as set out below, the individual verticalpipes may each open through a hole in the flat base plate 11, below eachvertical pipe, to pass posts, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, therethroughthat are then driven into the ground below the fish ladder, foranchoring it to the ground. The vertical pipes 20 a and 20 a, 21 a and21 b and 22 a and 22 b, are each secured, preferably by welding, alongthe individual pipe contacting surfaces with the respective parallelwalls 14 a and 14 b, providing for bracing and maintaining the walls ina right angle attitude to which flat base plate 11 top surface.Additionally, further bracing can be provided, as shown in FIG. 5, by amounting of gusset plates 25 a and 25 b across the junctions of thepipes 20 a and 20 b. The gusset plates 25 a and 25 b are shown as flatright triangle sections that each have their base legs 26 a and 26 bsecured, as by welding, to the flat base plate 11 top surface, and havetheir vertical legs 27 a and 27 b each connected, also preferably bywelding, along contacting surfaces with the pipes 20 a and 20 b. Soarranged, the pipes 20 a and 20 b, 21 a and 21 b and 22 a and 22 bsupport and brace the parallel walls 14 a and 14 b against their beingpivoted apart from a force of a water flow passing therebetween. Whileonly the pair of gusset plates 25 a and 25 b are shown in FIG. 5 asbracing the pipes 20 a and 20 b that are immediately adjacent to thebody of water that is held back by the water structure. It should,however, be understood, that gusset plates 25 a and 25 b, or the like,can be included with each of the other vertical pipes 21 a and 21 b, and22 a and 22 b, as shown in FIG. 3, within the scope of this disclosure.Additionally, in practice, a utilization of the gusset plates 25 a and25 b, with the fish ladder 10 of FIG. 2, will provide for bracing tohold in place the rear ends 36 a and 36 b of the water filled waterstructure sleeves 35 a and 35 b, tending to anchor the fish ladder 10against it being displaced by a water flow through the fish ladder,shown as arrows B.

[0030] For further anchoring of the fish ladder 10 in a stream bed, theinvention may include poles 30, with pole ends and pole segments shownin FIGS. 3 and 5, and are, shown in FIG. 5 aligned for fitting into, totravel the length of the pipes 20 a and 20 b and be driven into theground. The poles top ends, as shown in FIG. 3, extend out from the topends of pipes 20 a and 20 b, and include pipes 21 a and 21 b and 22 aand 22 b. In practice, as shown in FIG. 2, the body of water 40 is heldback by a water structure that includes the sleeves 35 a and 35 b andincorporates the fish ladder 10. With a weight of water in the sleeves35 a and 35 b that is directed through the sleeve ends 36 a and 36 bthat, along with the weight of the fish ladder itself, may be sufficientto maintain the fish ladder, as shown. So arranged, as shown in FIG. 2,a volume of water, shown as arrows A, flows from the body of water 40,through and across the tops of the stack or single dam sections 19,exiting into a stream, shown as arrows C. With arrows B in FIG. 4,illustrating the flow that travels through the fish ladder 10, acrossthe dam sections 19, and filling the areas between which stacks of damsections 19. Where, however, the combined weights of water in thesleeves 35 a and 35 a and fish ladder 10 are not sufficient to maintainthe fish ladder 10 in place against the hydraulic forces from the bodyof water 40, pairs of the pipes 20 a and 20 b, 21 a and 21 b and 22 aand 22 b can each receive, as shown in FIG. 2, the poles 30 fittedtherethrough, that travel through the flat base plate 11 and are driveninto the ground.

[0031] Similar to the arrangement of the sleeves 35 a and 35 b ends 36 aand 36 b that are maintained on the flat base plate wings 13 a and 13 bof fish ladder 10, as shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 shows the plurality ofwater filled sleeves 37 and 38 respectively, that are arranged on top ofthe opposite sides of the fish ladder 10, resting on the flat base platewings 13 a and 13 b. So arranged, the weight of water at the sleeve ends37 a and 38 a is directed into the fish ladder flat base plate 11 wings13 a and 13 b, against the pipes 20 a and 20 b, 21 a and 21 b and 22 aand 22 b and parallel walls 14 a and 14 b, maintaining the fish ladder10 in place.

[0032] In practice, the fish ladder can be utilized with a waterstructure, as shown, that includes sleeves 35 a and 35 b, eachcontaining water filled tubes, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Or a waterstructure that includes the plurality of sleeves 37 and 38, that eitherindividually contain water or that each contain at least one waterfilled tube can be used as the water structure. In either arrangement,the water structure has its respective ends 36 a and 36 b and 37 a and38 a positioned on top of wings 13 a and 13 b of the fish ladder 10 flatbase plate 11. The water structure ends are held by their weight ofwater therein directed against the fish ladder, sealing against theouter surfaces of the parallel walls 14 a and 14 b and may includecurtains, or the like, not shown, fitted against the fish ladder walls,not shown, for improving the seal. So arranged, the fish ladder parallelwalls 14 a and 14 b inner surfaces 16 a and 16 b direct a flow of waterfrom a body of water 40, shown as arrows A in FIGS. 2 and 4,therethrough. With that flow, shown as arrows B in FIG. 4, to pass fromthe fish ladder 10 into stream 41, shown as arrows C in FIG. 3.

[0033] In setting up the fish ladder 10, dam sections 19 areindividually slid into to travel along the channels formed between theright angle sections 17 a and 18 a legs 17 b and 18 b, forming dam typebarriers against a flow, arrow B of FIG. 4, that passes through the fishladder 10. For the channels next to the pipes 20 a and 20 b, or firstchannels, that are adjacent to the body of water 40, the number of damsections 19, as are fitted one by one into the vertical channels areselected to provide a barrier whose top edge is just below the level ofthe body of water 40, to provide a spill way thereacross. The number ofdam sections 19 as are fitted one by one into the subsequent channelsare spaced from the first channel, and from one another, are of a heightthat is selected to function as steps, down from the stream 41. Soarranged, a flow of water, shown as arrows B in FIG. 4, fills the spacesbetween the opposing dam sections 19 as that water flows through thewater ladder 10, forming pools. A fish swimming up stream from thestream 41 jumps up and over the stacks of dam sections, and into thepools therebetween until it is able to jump the last stack of damsections 19 and into the body of water 40, completing its transitthrough the fish ladder 10.

[0034] Although a preferred embodiment of the invention in a fish ladderhas been shown and described herein, it should be understood that thepresent disclosure is made by way of example only and that variationsare possible, within the scope of this disclosure, without departingfrom the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claimsand reasonable equivalency thereof, which claims I regard as myinvention.

I claim:
 1. A fish ladder for incorporation with a water structurecomprising, a flat base plate; spaced upstanding parallel side wallsthat are individually secured along each of their lower edges to extendupwardly from a top surface of said flat base plate; pairs of channelmeans that are each individually secured to one of said upstanding sidewalls opposing surfaces for receiving dam sections fitted therein, andwith the individual channel means in each pair aligning with one anotherto receive one or more of said dam sections; a plurality of dam sectionseach formed as flat rectangular member of like height, width andthickness and whose ends are to fit into, to pass along, opposingchannels; means for maintaining the flat base plate in position betweenends of a water structure consisting of at least a pair of sleeves witheach sleeve including means for maintaining water therein, with eachsaid sleeve having a closed end for positioning onto outer section ofsaid flat base plate, and each said sleeve end rests against an outersurface of an adjacent upstanding parallel side walls.
 2. The fishladder for incorporation with a water structure as recited in claim 1,wherein the upstanding parallel side walls extend across the flat baseplate and are equidistant from, and parallel to, outer edges of saidflat base plate, forming like size flat base plate wing sections thateach receive a water structure sleeve end positioned thereon.
 3. Thefish ladder for incorporation with a water structure as recited in claim1, further including means for maintaining the upstanding parallel sidewalls at approximately right angles to the flat base plate top surface.4. The fish ladder for incorporation with a water structure as recitedin claim 3, wherein the the means for maintaining the upstandingparallel side walls are straight pipes that are spaced apart from oneanother and are secured, at their bottom ends, onto the flat base platetop surface and to said upstanding parallel side walls along commonsurfaces.
 5. The fish ladder for incorporation with a water structure asrecited in claim 4, wherein the flat base plate includes holes formedtherethrough that open into bottom ends of one or more of the pairs ofstraight pipes; and including poles for fitting through top ends of apair or pairs of said straight pipes and are driven into the groundbeneath the flat base, anchoring said fish ladder.
 6. The fish ladderfor incorporation with a water structure as recited in claim 1, whereinthe channel means are each a pair of right angle members that each havea flat base and outstanding side formed at right angles to one another,and said flat base side is connected onto an inner surface of anupstanding parallel side wall whereby outstanding sides of each of saidpair of right angle members are positioned alongside and spacedappropriately apart, are parallel to one another and extend outwardlyfrom said parallel side wall inner surface, as the channel means
 7. Thefish ladder for incorporation with a water structure as recited in claim1, wherein the pair of sleeves each include a water containing tubemeans; and the sleeve ends adjacent to the fish ladder are closed andinclude means for maintaining said sleeve ends on said flat base plateedges and against the upstanding parallel side walls.